So-called smartwatches, which can perform tasks such as displaying e-mail and Twitter messages on a device worn around the wrist, have been around for several years but have failed so far to inspire great interest among ordinary consumers. But with smartphone behemoths Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc. joining the fray — and Google pushing its Google Glass gadget — analysts see a chance of wearable computers breaking into the mainstream.

That is, if consumers can get used to talking to their watch, secret agent-style.

‘‘With Gear you’re able to make calls and receive calls, without ever taking your phone out of your pocket,’’ Pranav Mistry, a member of Samsung’s design team, told reporters at the launch in Berlin ahead of the annual IFA consumer electronics show there.

The Gear uses Google’s Android operating system. The South Korean electronics company said the Gear can act as an extension to a smartphone by discreetly alerting users to incoming messages and calls on its display screen, which measures 1.63 inches diagonally.

The strap, which comes in six different colors, holds a basic camera that can be used to shoot photos and video. The Gear works with popular social media and fitness apps such as Twitter and RunKeeper.

With smartphones and tablets now commonplace, electronics companies are trying to create a new category of products to lure consumer spending. That includes building advanced computing technology into everyday objects.

Sony introduced its latest SmartWatch in June and unveiled an update Wednesday. Qualcomm also announced one Wednesday, called Toq. Google is working on Google Glass — a device designed to work like a smartphone and worn like a pair of glasses. Apple is also expected to unveil an iWatch.

Mistry demonstrated the calling function on the Gear by holding it up to his ear and talking into a microphone hidden in the watch. The watch then relays the call to a smartphone linked to it wirelessly over a built-in Bluetooth connection.

The Gear will be compatible initially with two Samsung products also unveiled Wednesday — the Galaxy Note III, which is a smartphone with a 5.7 inch screen and a digital pen, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1, a tablet computer with a 10.1-inch screen comparable to Apple’s full-size iPad. But Samsung promised to update other Galaxy phones and tablets to work with the Gear in future.

An Associated Press reporter who was given brief access to the Gear found that although it was stylish and easy to use, the fact that the watch doesn’t function as a standalone device but has to be paired with a Samsung phone or tablet results in some frustrating limitations. For example, while the phone can be used to make and receive calls, this works only through the built-in speaker and microphone. The Gear cannot be connected to a headset.

The number of apps that work with the Gear is also still limited. More than 70 are supported, including Facebook, Twitter, and RunKeeper.

Unlike normal watches that can happily tick away for years on end, Samsung only promises a full day’s use out of the Gear before it has to be charged.

The Gear goes on sale in the United States and Japan next month. The rest of the world will get their hands on it sooner, on Sept. 25, with prices starting at $299.